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Nido

Oakland, California

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The gentrification of Jack London Square has spread from its epicenter by the water to the district’s scruffy edges a few blocks away. Witness Nido, an endearing upstart whose name means “nest” in Spanish and whose corrugated-metal interior calls to mind a stylish container ship. The cuisine is Mexican for a seasonally sensitive era, with the requisite source list of local farms at the bottom of the menu. Housemade tomatillo salsa enlivens the chipotle-rubbed roast chicken, and grilled local fish tacos come with tangy slaw and roasted habanero salsa. Not that you can’t get timeless classics: The bar is a fine place for chips and fresh guacamole, or a well-balanced margarita that lives up to the neighborhood’s growing cocktail reputation.